Young entertainers have been preparing since January across the Midwest and July 14-18 they will be competing for up to $7,600 in cash and prizes and the title of Performer of the Year at the American Kids Inc. 2008 National Finals at the Baldknobber\u2019s Theater.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore American Idol, Star Search and America\u2019s Got Talent, American Kids Inc. has been showcasing the nation\u2019s talented young performers for 26 years,\u201d said Dr. Dale Smith, founder of the non-profit group based in Branson known as the nation\u2019s only little league of entertainers.<\/p>\n
Some 213 acts and more than 100 kids will compete in the annual talent contest judged by an impressive slate of national and celebrity judges.<\/p>\n
Competition begins at 9 a.m. Monday-Thursday with an awards ceremony on Friday morning. The event will culminate in the AllStar Show at 2 p.m. Friday, July 18, where 25 of the top acts will be showcased. One winner will be selected as Performer of the Year and win a $1,000 cash prize and a recording session from Rockabilly Recording Company of Branson. Tickets to the show are $10 and available at the door.<\/p>\n
AllStar judges include Tyree Mc Lyn, casting producer for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d Rickey Schultz, founder and president of Zebra Records, John Beasley, musician and producer who has worked with shows such as \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d and \u201cSinging Bee.”<\/p>\n
Among the preliminary judges are Jason Pritchett, 2007 finalist \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d Barbara Fairchild, Grammy nominated singer and performer, and Louise Harrison, sister of Beatles George Harrison and developer of Liverpool Legends. More celebrity judges are Gary S. Paxton, Grammy winner, and Jason Yeager, 2008 American Idol finalist.<\/p>\n
In addition, many American Kids national finalists will be showcased on various Branson stages throughout the week. Monday-Thursday, many will be featured on Center Stage at the Branson Mall. On Tuesday, some will be featured in a pre-show at the Hamner Barber Variety Show at 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday finalists will present pre-shows at Justin Flom\u2019s Imaginary Theatre at 7:20 p.m. On Thursday they will be in the pre-show at the Baldknobber\u2019s Jamboree 8 p.m. show.<\/p>\n
At the national competition, also recognized are member of the year for community service, college scholarship recipients and a penny drive for a children\u2019s health charity is completed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have many members performing in Branson, on Broadway and on tour, with Disney and in Nashville: Bryan White, Kristin Chenoweth and Blake Shelton are alumnus. Fame and fortune are not promised, but personal development is. We promise exposure, growth, character development and opportunity. Because of the experience gained from being on stage, our members are better prepared for whatever they choose to do in life,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n
For more information call the national office manager Brenda Hoffstatter at 1-800-377-8117 OR 417-337-8964 or go to the website at www.americankids.com.<\/p>\n
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Young entertainers have been preparing since January across the Midwest and July 14-18 they will be competing for up to $7,600 in cash and prizes and the title of Performer of the Year at the American Kids Inc. 2008 National Finals at the Baldknobber\u2019s Theater. \u201cBefore American Idol, Star Search and America\u2019s Got Talent, American […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broadcast.branson.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}